Your Future!

Plan Ahead,
Make High School Count

Visit www.californiacolleges.edu and www.scholarshare.com

for planning and financial aid information
Take Control of Your Future!
Do you want more knowledge, more job opportunities, and a lot more money? College is for you! The world is chang-
ing everyday and it is harder to find well paying jobs if you do not have a college degree... so if you want the freedom
to choose a good career and earn a high salary, then you should start preparing for college while you are still in
middle school.
Be Prepared
Right now is the best time to prepare for college. During the next four years, you need to take the right foundational
courses to help you get into the college that best suits your needs. The chart below lists the minimum courses that
are required for freshman admission to the California State University, the University of California, and many inde-
pendent colleges and universities. This pattern of courses is the same as recommended for community colleges. Talk
to your counselors and teachers and use this chart to plan ahead and track your progress!

> high school planning chart This planning chart belongs to:

Requirements (a–g Courses) Years Required 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

A. History/Social Science
U.S. History, U.S. Government,
2 Years of History/Social Science, including one year of U.S. History OR one
semester of U.S. History and one semester of American government. CSU
Civics, World History Cultures, requires one additional year of Social Science. UC requires one year of
and Geography either world or European History, or cultures and geography.*

B. English 4 Years of college preparatory English composition and literature (in-

cluding no more than one year of Advanced ESL/ELD). UC requires a
minimum of two years of English – three preferable completed by the
end of the 11th grade.
C. Mathematics
Algebra, Geometry, Intermedi-
3 Years (four years recommended) of college-preparatory mathematics
required, including Elementary Algebra, Geometry, and Intermediate
ate Algebra, or Higher Level Algebra. Integrated math sequences may be used to satisfy “c” subject
Mathematics area requirements. For UC, one of the three courses must be Geometry
or Integrated Mathematics with sufficient Geometry content.
D. Laboratory Science 2 Years required. CSU requires one year of biological and one year of
physical science, one from the “d” subject area and the other from the
“d” or “g” area. UC requires two years (three years strongly recom-
mended), providing fundamental knowledge in two of the following
disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.
E. Language Other Than
English (Foreign Language)
2 Years (or equivalent to the second level of high school instruction) of
the same language other than English required (three years recom-
mended). American Sign Language is acceptable.
F. Visual & Performing Arts
Dance, Drama/Theater, Music,
1 Year (or two, one-semester courses) in the same discipline required,
chosen from the following: Dance, Interdisciplinary Arts, Music,
Visual Art Theater, Visual Arts.

G. College Preparatory 1 Year of an elective chosen from any area on approved a-g course list.

*UC requires at least 11 of the “a-g” courses to be completed prior to the start of 12th grade. To meet Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) criteria, UC requires
students to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and complete the following “a-g” courses prior to a student starting 12th grade: 1 year of History/Social Science, 2 years
of English, 2 years of Mathematics, 1 year of Laboratory Science, 1 year of Language Other Than English, and 4 yearlong College Preparatory Electives (chosen
from the “a-f” subjects listed in the above table or another course approved by the university).
> california educational systems at a glance
California Community California State University of Independent Colleges
System
Colleges (CCC) University (CSU) California (UC) and Universities
Number of campuses 114 23 10 80

College entrance test None Required ACT or SAT are required ACT with Writing or SAT ACT or SAT (check with
for students with grade with Essay college or university of
point averages under 3.00* your choice)
Degrees offered Some Bachelor’s Bachelor’s, Master’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Associate’s, Bachelor’s,
degrees offered and Doctoral degrees Doctoral, and Master’s, Doctoral, and
professional degrees professional degrees
In-state $46 per unit $5,742 $12,630 $36,600
student fees/tuition (before financial aid) (before financial aid) (before financial aid) (before financial aid)
(subject to change)
Financial aid You can afford to go to college! Financial aid is available from colleges and universities, State and Federal governments, businesses, and
other organizations. The State’s Cal Grant program fully covers fees and/or offsets some living or book expenses for qualifying students
at California Community Colleges, California State University and University of California. The maximum Cal Grant at independent
California colleges and universities is $9,084; the average financial aid package at these institutions is $29,038. To get a sense of the
cost of college for you and your family after financial aid, go to campus web sites and search for the “Financial Aid Calculator or Estimator.”

*Applicants who are not required to submit test scores are encouraged to take standardized admission tests for advising and for placement in appropriate courses

> california colleges and universities

California Community Colleges (CCC) University of California (UC)
• Admit all students who are 18 years old or a high • Each campus has its own personality, academic focus,
school graduate and strengths
• Enroll high school students under special arrangement • Offers various advanced degrees, including medicine
to earn college or high school credits and law
• Prepare students to transfer to any college or university • Has many nationally ranked academic and
for a Bachelor’s Degree athletic programs
• Have low fees and offer financial aid • On-campus housing is available on all campuses
• Offer a wide variety of opportunities to enhance • For more information, visit the following websites
your future and enrich your life www.universityofcalifornia.edu
• 15 community colleges are offering Bachelor’s Degrees in www.californiacolleges.edu
vocational fields. Some of these programs will begin in
2015. A list of the colleges and vocational fields included Independent California Colleges and Universities
in this program is on: • 80 not-for-profit, fully accredited private colleges that
http://extranet.cccco.edu/Portals/1/ExecutiveOffice/Board/2015_ offer over 350 different degrees
agendas/January/California_Community_Colleges_Baccalaureate_De- • Average Financial Aid package is almost $30,000, and
gree_RECOMMENDED_PILOT_PROGRAMS_final_Jan-2015.pdf. 79% of all students receive institutional grant aid.
• For more information, visit the website • Each school is different which offers students the op-
www.californiacolleges.edu portunity to choose the type of educational environment
www.icanaffordcollege.com that best suits their needs
California State University (CSU) • For more information, visit the website
• Each campus has its own personality, academic focus, www.aiccu.edu/planning-ahead
and strengths www.californiacolleges.edu
• Each campus has its own special geographic features Specialized Schools and Colleges
and traditions • Most students 18 years of age or older are eligible
• CSU offers quality education in the liberal arts and for admission; however, at WASC accredited specialized
sciences and specialized training for a variety of colleges, it is recommended that students follow the
career fields High School Planning Chart on the reverse side
• On-campus housing is available on most campuses • Courses or programs offered are specialized (i.e., fash-
• For more information, visit the website ion design or automotive technologies) for direct en-
www.calstate.edu trance into careers
www.californiacolleges.edu

California Education Round Table Intersegmental Coordinating Committee

1430 N Street, Room 3705, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916/324.8593 Fax: 916/327.9172 Email: [email protected] Website: www.certicc.org
This brochure is published by the California Education Round Table which is composed of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, leaders of the
California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, and the independent colleges and universities. It is distributed by
the Intersegmental Coordinating Committee of the California Education Round Table.
2017/18